Why Kenyans are unhappy with the tech sector regulator

Communications Authority of Kenya

The Communications Authority of Kenya headquarters in Nairobi.

Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group

Over 70 percent of Kenyans who have lodged complaints with the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) say they’re dissatisfied with how the sector regulator responded to and handled their issues, pointing to low quality service at the State agency.

A new customer satisfaction survey report published by CA reveals that the complaints handling process at the agency is one of its most dissatisfactory functions, leaving consumers of tech products unhappy.

The survey reveals that only 29.3 percent of complainants are satisfied with how long, effective, and proper the sector regulator resolves their issues, meaning that a vast majority remain disgruntled.

“The majority of respondents, 70.7 percent, expressed dissatisfaction with the complaints handling process at CA, while only 29.3 percent were satisfied. This indicates a significant need for improvement in addressing and resolving complaints effectively,” said CA in the new report.

CA is the go-to regulator for complaints regarding virtually everything in the technology sector, including telecommunications, internet services, courier, postal, broadcast and radio frequency services.

Complaints to the regulator involve “scams, poor service from providers like Zuku and Safaricom, cybercrime, and problems with domain registrars and courier companies,” the regulator said.

Kenyans also complain of other issues like service disruptions, illegal internet provision, issues with television or radio broadcasts and dissatisfaction with customer service and network performance.

Most of the complaints are sent through email (60.3 percent), phone call (15.9 percent), the website (7.9 percent), and social media (9.5 percent), while some also physically visit CA offices, send letters or text messages to lodge a complaint.

Regardless of the channel used, the survey reveals, less than half of those polled expressed satisfaction with how the CA responded to their complaints in the year to June 2024.

In general, only 54 percent of consumers dealing directly with the regulator are satisfied with their services, indicating significant gaps in resolving consumer issues at the State agency.

CA licensees, which include telecom operators like Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom; internet service providers, courier and postal services, and broadcast services, on the other hand, express much higher satisfaction with CA services.

On average, over 70 percent of the licensees are satisfied with the regulator’s services, in terms of speed, vigilance, and accuracy of quarterly reports it publishes.

The survey also shows that on average 38 percent of the regulator’s suppliers and 20.2 percent of its partners and affiliates – which include donors and collaborating agencies are dissatisfied by their services and interactions.

Compared to 2023, dissatisfaction with CA’s services has increased. In 2024, averagely 28.7 percent of the polled stakeholders expressed dissatisfaction with the regulator, up from 19.9 percent in 2023.

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Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.